MORPHOMETRICS OF DOMESTIC PANSTRONGYLUS-RUFOTUBERCULATUS IN BOLIVIA

The trend to domesticity in Triatominae may represent a transitionary phase towards increasing vectorial importance in the transmission of C hagas disease to humans, and requires sustained entomological surveill ance. Although generally considered a sylvatic species, Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus has been recently captured inside human dwellings in the provinces of Nor Yungas and Munecas in the Department of La Pat, B olivia, providing evidence of this species' ability to colonise domest ic habitats. The results of previous research on domestic and sylvatic specimens of other species of Triatominae indicate that morphometrics could be used to monitor this adaptive process. The most likely cause of differences seen in the size and shape of bugs from domestic colon ies of P. rufotuberculatus from two neighbouring villages in Bolivia i s probably genetic drift rather than environmental influences. Compari son with allopatric sylvatic specimens, including the holotype of P. r ufotuberculatus, showed a general reduction in size from sylvatic to d omestic specimens.